Doll construction



April 10, 1934. s KALNER r AL 1,954,320

DOLL CONSTRUCTION Filed July 50. 1932 INVENTOR.

ATTO NEY Patented Apr. 10, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT; OFFICE DOLL CONSTRUCTION Sam Kalner and David Cohn, Brooklyn, N. Y.

Application July 30, 1932, Serial No. 626,562 6 Claims. (or. 4640) This invention relates to doll construction, It is particularly directed to a dolls eye unit for a sleeping doll and mounting therefor and the like devices.

An object of this invention is to provide a simple, neat and rugged construction of the character described, which shall be smooth in operation, relatively inexpensive to manufacture, which shall comprise comparatively few and simple parts, easy to assemble and incorporate into a dolls head and which shall yet be practical and eificient to a high degree in use.

Other objects of this invention will in part be obvious and in part hereinafter pointed out.

The invention accordingly consists in the features of construction, combinations of elements, and arrangement of parts which will be exemplified in the construction hereinafter described, and of which the scope of application will be indicated in the following claims.

In the accompanying drawing, in which is shown one of the various possible illustrative embodiments of this invention,

Fig. 1 is an interior view of a portion of the dolls head provided with a swinging eye unit and mounting therefor embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken on line 22 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary view of the interior of the dolls head and eye unit and mounting therefor illustrating a modified construction;

Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken on line 1-4 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 3 but showing another modified construction; and

Fig. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken online 6--6 of Fig. 5.

Referring now in detail to the drawing and particularly to Figs. 1 and 2 thereof, 10 designates a dolls head provided with usual interiorly curved eye sockets adapted to receive pivoted or swinging dolls eyes. Fixed to the interior of the dolls head as at 11 and between the eye sockets, is a member 12 made of metal or any other suitable material and partially embedded within the head and projecting rearwardly therefrom. The member 12 is preferably disposed in a vertical plane and is provided with an L-shaped slot 14 having a vertical portion 15 extending to the upper edge 15a of said member, and a horizontal portion 16. Swingably supported on said member 12 is a dolls eye unit 17 of any suitable construction, for example, of the type described in our co-pending application, Serial No. 622,026, filed July 12th, 1932. I

More particularly, the unit 17 comprises a member 18 made of sheet metal or celluloid having a downwardly extending arm 19 to which there is attached in any suitable manner, a weight 20. The member 18 further comprises a crossing portion 21 at the upper end of arm 19, and a pair of substantially parallel portions or arms 22, 23. Attached to the upper ends 22a and 23a of said arms 22 and 23 is an axle 24 made of metal or celluloid and projecting at 66 opposite sides of the arms substantially equal distances. Mounted on each of the extending portions of said axle is a dolls eye member 25 preferably hemispherical in shape and formed of any suitable material, and painted or decorated on the exterior thereof with an iris and pupil and eye-lid in the well known manner. For mounting the eye members 25 on the extending portions of the axle, each of said members is provided with a diametrically disposed tube 26 attached in any suitable manner at the ends thereof to the eye member and slidably and rotatably receiving one of said extending portions therethrough. The eye members may thus be slidably moved toward or away from each other on the axle or rotated 30 thereon to accurately fit within the eye sockets.

As illustrated in the drawing, the axle 24 may be passed through the portion 15 of the slot 14 and contacts the lower edge 30 of the slot portion 16. The eye unit may thus be moved to- 86 ward the eye sockets or away therefrom, the middle of the axle moving within said slot portion 16.

For pressing the eye members 25 within the sockets to provide a snug ball and socket fit, there is provided a spring 32 preferably in the form of a strip of sheet metal having the upper end 33 thereof contacting the vertical face 34 of an interior projection 35, preferably molded integrally with the dolls head. The attachment between the spring 32 and the projection 35 may be attached by means of a screw 36 or in any other suitable manner. The lower end of the spring is preferably provided with a slot 38 forming a pair of spaced or bifurcated fingers 39 located on opposite sides of the member 12. The fingers 39 preferably contact portions of the axle on opposite sides of said member 12 for pressing the eye members 25 to frictionally engage the eye sockets. Said fingers 39 are preferably spaced from and out of contact with respect to the member 12.

It will now be noted that as the doll is placed into sleeping position, the weight 20 will cause the eye unit 17 to swing for moving the eye-lid portions of the eye members 25 into view to simulate a sleeping attitude.

In Figs. 3 and 4: there is shown a modified construction of mounting for the dolls eye unit 1'7. In accordance with Figs. 3 and 1, there is attached to the interior of the dolls head and between the eye sockets thereof, a cylindrical member having an internal screw threaded portion 41 and provided with a pair of longitudinal diametrically disposed T-shaped slots 42. The middle of the axle 24 passes through the enlarged portions of the slots 42 adjacent the base of the cylindrical member 40 whereby the unit 17 is supported on said cylinder. A screw threaded member or nut 45 screwed within the threaded portion 41 of said cylindrical member serves to limit rearward movement of the axle. For urging the eye members 25 of said unit 17 towards the eye sockets, the cylindrical member 40 is provided with another pair of longitudinal diametric slots 43 disposed in a vertical plane. Attached to the interior of the front portion 47 of the dolls neck is a spring 48 likewise preferably made in the form of a fiat strip of metal, said strip being attached by means of a screw 49 and being provided with a finger v50 at the upper end thereof freely passing through the slots 43. The finger 50 is preferably disposed between the axle 24 and the inner end of the nut 45 and normally presses said axle toward the dolls head for urging the eye members 25 within the eye sockets. The finger 50 is preferably so dimensioned as to move freely within the slots 43 without contacting the cylindrical member 40.

In Figs. 5 and 6 there is likewise shown a dolls head 10 provided with a member 1211. partially embedded within said head between the eye sockets and projecting rearwardly in a vertical plane. The member 1212 further is provided with a slot having a horizontal portion 56 and a rearwardly inclined portion 57 extending to the upper edge 58 of said member 1211. The dolls eye unit 1'? shown in Figs. 5 and 6 may besimilar to the units shown in Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 4, and the axle portion 24 thereof preferably passes through the portion 56 of the slot 55, said axle contacting the horizontal edge 60 of said slot portion.

For pressing the dolls eye members 25 shown in Figs. 5 and 6, within the eye sockets, there is provided a spring 62 likewise preferably made of a strip of sheet metal, said strip being provided with a curved portion 63 terminating in an edge 64 contacting the interior of the neck portion 47 of said dolls head. Said curved portion 63 is provided with a slot 65 and embedded within said neck portion 47 is a bolt 66 extending through said slots 65 and receiving a nut 67 contactin the rear surface of the spring.

It will now be understood that as the nut 6'7 is tightened, the upper portion of the spring 62 will be pressed toward the dolls face. At the upper end thereon-said spring 62 is provided with a rearwardly bent portion '70. Said spring 62, however, is further provided adjacent said por- 62 is large enoughso that the spring will not contact the member 12a. With the construction shown in Figs. 5 and e, the eye unit m y be removed by pressing the axle rearwardly against the spring and passing said axle through the slot portion 57. The pressure of the spring against the axle may further be adjusted by means of the nut 67.

It will thus be seen that there is provided a device in which the. several objects of this invention are achieved, and which is well adapted to meet the conditions of practical use.

As various possible embodiments might be made of the above invention, and as various changes might be made in the embodiments above set forth, it is to be understood that all matter herein set forth or shown in the accompanying drawing is to be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

Having thus described our invention, we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. In doll construction, a dolls head, a member fixed to the interior of the dolls head and between the eye sockets thereof, a swinging dolls eye unit having an axle rotatably mounted on said member, and dolls eye members mounted on said axle and received within said sockets, and an elongated strip of spring metal, independent of said member, having one end thereof attached directly to the dolls head and the other end thereof engaging said axle for pressing the eye members within said ockets.

2. In doll construe ion, a dolls head having a pair of eye sockets, a member disposed in a vertical plane fixed to the interior of the head and between the sockets, a swinging dolls eye unit having an axle rotatably mounted on said member, and dolls eyes mounted on said axle, and an elongated strip of spring metal having one end thereof attached to the interior of the dolls head and the other end provided with portions disposed on opposite sides of said member and engaging said axle forpressing said dolls eyes within said sockets.

3. In doll construction, a dolls head having a pair of eye sockets, a member disposed in a ver-.- tical plane fixed to the interior of the head and between the sockets, a swinging dolls eye unit having an axle rotatably mounted on said member,and dolls eyes mounted on said axle, and an elongated strip of spring metal having one end thereof attached to the interior of the dolls head and the other end provided with portions disposedon opposite sides of said member and engaging said axle for pressing dolls eyes within said sockets, and means for, adjusting the tension of said spring.

4. In doll construction, a dolls head provided with a pair of eye sockets, a member partially embedded within the interior of the dolls head between said sockets and extending rearwardly therefrom and disposed in a vertical plane, said member being provided with a slot, and a swinging dolls eye unit comprising an axle, and a weighted member attached thereto, and a pair of dolls eye members mounted on said axle, and received within said sockets, the mid-portion of said axle being rotatably received within said slot, and a spring independent of said first member, attached to said dolls head and having portions disposed on opposite sides of and spaced from said member and engaging spaced portions of said axle for pressing said eye members within said sockets.

5. In doll, construction, a dolls head provided with a pair of eye sockets, a cylindrical member fixed to the interior of said head and extending rearwardly therefrom and between the eye sockets, said cylindrical member being provided. with an internal screw threaded portion and nut screwed to said screw threaded portion, said cylindrical member being provided with a pair of longitudinal, diametrically disposed, horizontal slots, 8. dolls eye unit comprising an axle and a weighted member attached thereto, and a pair of dolls eyes mounted on said axle and received within said sockets, said axle extending through said slots and being supported by said cylindrical member, said cylindrical member being further provided with a pair of diametric slots disposed in a, vertical plane, and an elongated strip of spring metal having one end thereof attached to the interior of said head and having a finger on the other end passing through said last mentioned pair of slots and between said axle and said nut and adapted to press said axle toward the front of the dolls head for frictionally engaging the dolls eyes within said sockets.

6. In doll construction, a dolls head having a pair of eye sockets, a projection on the interior of said head, a swinging dolls eye unit, having an axle rotatably and slidably mounted on said projection, and dolls eyes mounted on said axle and received within said sockets, and a spring inde pendent of said projection and out of contact therewith, attached to said dolls head and having a portion engaging said axle for pressing the dolls eyes within said sockets.

SAM KALNER. DAVID COHN. 

